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The world's attention is currently focused on the energy transition to sustainable energy. The drive to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in order to limit global warming, energy security, and the generalization of access to energy have contributed to the adoption of the Moroccan Energy Strategy, with a strong focus on renewable energy (RE). Morocco is notoriously poor in conventional primary fossil energy resources, with energy dependence on the order of 90%. In addition, the energy crisis that resulted from the COVID-19 pandemic and geopolitical conflicts, compounded with steady increase in demand, has heavily affected the security and stability of the country's energy situation. The transition to RE by strongly engaging in the implementation of several solar, wind, and hydro energy projects has made the country the leader in RE in Africa. These projects benefit from the country's excellent solar and wind energy potential. As a consequence, by 2030, the share of RE in the installed capacity is expected to reach 52%. An overview of the current situation of RE (particularly solar energy) in Morocco is provided, including the potentials, obstacles, challenges, and future perspectives. Thanks to its high solar potential, it is predictable that Morocco's effort will be focused on this field: the Erasmus plus INNOMED project is a virtuous example of international cooperation, aiming at promoting solar energy through capacity building and the creation of solar energy networks, in synergy with EU Partners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper compares two mostly used maximum power point tracking (MPPT) methods, perturb and observe (P&O), and incremental conductance (INC), for a photovoltaic (PV) system integrated with a step-up converter and resistive load. The evaluation was conducted using MATLAB/Simulink under two specific environmental conditions: low irradiation and temperature levels. The results indicate that under irradiation levels below 200 W/m², the INC algorithm outperforms P&O by exhibiting minimal fluctuations and achieving higher efficiency. Conversely, under low temperature (below 25 °C) the P&O method reaches the highest efficiency, exceeding 99%. These findings highlight the importance of selecting the appropriate MPPT algorithm based on specific environmental conditions to optimize the energy output of PV systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work is an attempt to understand and optimize the rare earth elements leaching from Moroccan phosphogypsum using a nitric acid solution. The Plackett–Burman statistical design was used to identify the statistically significant factors responsible for the optimum leaching conditions. With this purpose, the following seven variables were studied: nitric acid concentration (X1), solid‐to‐liquid ratio (X2), temperature (X3), leaching time (X4), stirring speed (X5), drying (X6), and particle size (X7). Given that the leaching recovery of rare earth elements is limited by the quantity of dissolved phosphogypsum, we examined two simultaneous responses, namely, the leaching efficiency of rare earth elements YREEs and the leaching efficiency of calcium YCa (dissolution rate of phosphogypsum). The predicted values of the two fitted models were in good agreement with the experimental values by a coefficient of determination (R2) equal to 98.6% and 96.50%, respectively. In the model of YREEs, only the effect of drying was found to be statistically insignificant with a p‐value greater than 0.05. Nitric acid concentration, solid‐to‐liquid ratio, and temperature are the only variables having a statistically significant effect in the model of YCa. At a dissolution rate of phosphogypsum equal to 30.13%, the leaching efficiency of rare earth elements from our sample has reached a maximum of 87.55%. The optimal experimental conditions are a nitric acid concentration of 3.3 M, a solid‐to‐liquid ratio of 1/9, a temperature of 75°C, a leaching time of 20 min, a stirring speed of 200 rpm, and d ≤ 100 µm as a particle size. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Urban Heat Island phenomenon (UHI), characterized by elevated temperatures in urban areas compared to their rural surroundings, is highly exacerbated by urbanization and climate change. Understanding the complex relationship between UHI effect and urban form is crucial for effective urban planning and climate mitigation strategies. This paper examines the multifaceted connection between UHIs and urban forms, exploring various methods used to study this relationship. Through a review of the existing literature, we analyze the influence of various urban characteristics on the intensity and spatial distribution of UHIs. Furthermore, we discuss the key methods and technologies, such as remote sensing and modeling, used in advancing our understanding of UHI–urban form interactions. This study then delves into the literature on UHIs within the specific context of Morocco, identifying research gaps and emphasizing the need for more comprehensive research to address them. By translating study findings into actionable urban solutions, this paper suggests contextual mitigation strategies based on the research outcomes. Finally, by synthesizing current research findings and methodologies, this paper seeks to provide insights into the complexities of UHI dynamics and their implications for climate resilience, highlighting the potential of research for forging sustainable and climate-conscious planning strategies in Morocco and across the broader MENA region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) are one of the most promising photovoltaic technologies undergoing rapid developments. PSC efficiency has reached 25.2% in only seven years, which is close to the record efficiency of silicon solar cells. In addition, the use of PSCs in tandem solar cells either in the 4-terminal or monolithic configuration, can lead to a significant increase conversion efficiency. However, the stability and the scalability are the main issues that still hinder the commercialization of the perovskite technology.

Researchers in the building industry are becoming increasingly interested in phase change materials (PCM). As these PCMs might provide passive temperature adjustment, this will aid in lowering the energy consumption of Heating, Ventilation, and Air-Conditioning (HVAC) devices. To prevent leakage during phase change, an enclosure is needed when installing PCMs in buildings. The need to assess the passive thermal regulation of the PCMs at different melting temperature is necessary, so that we can get a sense of how much energy will be saved for this passive thermal regulation method. Hence, this paper will evaluate and identify the optimum phase change transition temperatures during the whole year for wall composition with tunable PCM in a semi-arid climate. Thus, the main objective of this study is to assess the indoor air temperature fluctuation reduction and the PCM activation while suggesting an appropriate phase change transition temperature that can be beneficial in the whole year and very practical. The results reveal a good passive temperature regulation during the summer period.